Arshad Shaikh studies the recent controversy surrounding the “tiger claws” used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630-1680) to kill the Adil Shahi general Afzal Khan. A political storm swept the state as the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) government decided to bring back the artefact from a museum in London. The Opposition led by the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena questioned the authenticity of the artefact and saw it as a ploy to garner votes by playing the emotional card. The game of one-upmanship has begun before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls with the most unlikely of historical characters amid a war of words between the BJP and the Opposition in Maharashtra.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a highly revered figure in the state of Maharashtra. He is looked upon as a great freedom fighter who stood up to the might of the Mughals. He defeated them in many a battle and established his own kingdom. There are statues of Shivaji in almost all cities and towns of Maharashtra, while his portraits adorn the walls of nearly all government offices and buildings. Popular musicals eulogize his greatness and he enjoys a near cult status among the people of the state.
One of the most acclaimed incidents in the life of Shivaji is his killing of the Adil Shahi general, Afzal Khan who served the Bijapur Sultanate in India. Afzal Khan played a key role in the Sultanate’s expansion in Southern India. Incidentally, Shahaji, the father of Shivaji was a prominent military chief of the Bijapur Sultanate and had fought alongside Afzal Khan in military combat. However, Shivaji assumed control over his father’s “jagirs” in the Pune region and began acting independently of the Bijapur Sultante. He negotiated separately with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who had attacked Bijapur in a bid to topple the Adil Shahi dynasty. Shivaji maintained that he was aligned with Bijapur.
However, the Adil Shahis did not trust him. As the Bijapur Sultanate was preoccupied with the Mughal invasion, they could not act against Shivaji for most of the 1650s. After making peace with the Mughals, Bijapur shifted its focus to Shivaji. They dispatched a reasonably strong force under the command of their celebrated general Afzal Khan to subdue Shivaji.
Matters reached a stage, where a one-to-one meeting between Afzal Khan and Shivaji was arranged. Both feared treachery at the hands of each other. Shivaji protected himself by wearing light chainmail and iron armor underneath his clothes. He also hid two weapons: the “waghnakh” or metal hooks attached to his fingers resembling tiger claws, and a sword that his followers believed to be “divinely blessed”.
According to the popular version found in Maratha texts, Afzal Khan requested Shivaji to surrender to the Adil Shahi Sultan. He assured Shivaji of being made a subordinate ruler of the Sultanate. Amidst the conversation, Afzal Khan deceitfully pretended to hug Shivaji and attacked him with a hidden weapon. As Shivaji was prepared for the attack, he tore into Afzal Khan with the tiger claws he was wearing while Shivaji’s bodyguards attacked Afzal Khan and killed him with their swords.
A political storm erupted after it was announced that the State government is all set to bring back the legendary “waghnakh” (tiger claws) used by Shivaji to kill Afzal Khan. It is reported that the Maharashtra Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar went to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Victoria and Albert Museum to bring back the “waghnakh” on a three-year loan.
However, some historians like Inderjit Sawant pointed out that the “claws” may not have been used by Shivaji as indicated on the Victoria and Albert Museum website. The doubtful antecedents of the artefact received further scrutiny by the Opposition Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) leader, Aditya Thackeray.
Addressing the media, Thackeray asked, “Do they really belong to Shivaji or are they just from that era? The website of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London says that the ‘waghnakh’ belonged to James Grant Duff (1789-1858), an officer of the East India Company who was appointed Resident (political agent) of the Satara State in 1818. I appeal to the government to come clean on this issue as it is linked to the emotions of millions of people. I urge the government not to play with the emotions of the people.”
Dismissing the allegations as politically motivated, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed Aditya’s assertions as childish and not worth responding. The State government is making grand preparations for the return of the “waghnakh”. It plans to organize a grand program in November to celebrate its return. The artefact will be on display at museums in Satara, Nagpur, Kolhapur, and Mumbai.
Afzal Khan’s tomb is located at Pratapgad Fort. The annual urs (death anniversary celebration) of Afzal Khan was stopped in the 1990s after right-wing groups started opposing the event and started their own “Shivaji Glorification Day” to commemorate Shivaji’s victory over Afzal Khan. The event was banned by the Congress-NCP-led state government because of hate speeches and violence at the event. However, it was again revived by the current government by granting it the status of an official festival. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde celebrated “Shivaji Glorification Day” on 30 November last year by hoisting a flag at the Pratapgad Fort.
The Maratha community is one of the most populous and politically critical vote banks for any political party aspiring to be in power in Maharashtra. Recent developments related to the demand for reservations for Marathas have been politically damaging for the government. By playing the “Afzal Khan” card, the government is trying to make inroads into the hearts of the Maratha community. It is quite amusing that even after 400 years, the ghost of Afzal Khan continues to linger in the politics of Maharashtra and the “tug of war” over the tools used for his killing may well decide the destiny of the BJP in the coming elections.